Devotions

As I have aged, I’ve discovered some things are getting harder to do and I need to find alternatives. For example, lids on jars are now opened with a tool rather. Small print needs a magnifying glass. Ripping open packaging requires a scissor. Threading a needle requires a needle threader and a magnifying glass.

I’ve also discovered that some things aren’t even possible to do anymore. Every Sunday I lament that I have lost my ability to jump. Now at 78 jumping is not something I can do even though I would so love to jump during song service, especially when I see Pastor Paco and others jumping as they worship.

So, I’ve learned to compensate by finding alternatives for the “harder” things, and I’m waiting until I get that glorified body to “jump” when the heavenly choirs start singing.

While I am waiting, it is comforting and reassuring that our God has no such limitations. Nothing is too difficult or impossible for Him. “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” [Jeremiah 32:17]

We can look at the mess our world is in and bemoan that evil SEEMS all-powerful and nothing can be done to stem the tide. Or we can look at our Sovereign LORD, the Almighty One, and begin to intercede in power for righteousness and truth. Nothing is too hard for our God. 

We cannot let the world underestimate our SAVIOR and LORD. We must display His Almighty power in our everyday lives – no matter our age – even when we can no longer Jump!

The neighbors at the end of our block have three little girls and two dogs. They moved into a home where the previous owners planted four fruit trees outside the fence next to the sidewalk. The apple and pear have died, but the peach and cherry are still there.

As I walked past those trees recently, I noticed that the cherries are ripe. I wondered if the owners would pick them, and then I spotted the entire family with buckets in hand. The little girls and mom were having a great time picking cherries and filling their buckets while Dad and the dogs watched. I was glad that the fruit would not go to waste.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew, Jesus reminds his listeners that “by their fruit you will recognize [prophets].” Then Jesus uttered a stark warning, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” [7:20-21]

Frankly, people who walk into a church and say “Lord, Lord” and walk out to live their lives as they please are much too common. They profess Christ as LORD with their mouths but rarely obey His word. It doesn’t cost anything to be a “professing” Christian.

It costs everything, however, to be a “true” Christian who not only says, “Lord, Lord” but also “does the will of the Father in heaven.”  We do a great disservice to people by allowing them to think that Christianity can be acquired by mere words. In truth, it is a life totally given over to pleasing God. It costs everything.

I had a cousin, Tommy, on my father’s side of the family. He was a few years older than I. Tommy’s mother contracted Rubella when she was in her first trimester and Tommy was born mentally challenged. It was before there were schools available, so Tommy spent most of his time in his room with his record player.  We visited them in Cleveland, Ohio, when I was nine years old.

 Tommy loved to play his records. The problem was, he’d get stuck on one song and would play it repeatedly. That weekend Tommy was stuck on “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford.  To this day whenever I hear it, I think of Tommy.

 Yesterday as I walked, I began singing “Amazing Grace.” As it always does, it touches my soul, and I spent most of my walk thinking about God’s amazing grace. I thought “when I get back home, I’ll sit and write about God’s amazing grace. It always just amazes me so!”

 Then I thought, “good grief girl, if you write about amazing grace again, they are going to think you are a broken record.” Then I started to laugh and thought that I am not so much different from Tommy – I could listen to “Amazing Grace,” and write about amazing grace all day long! 

 I don’t want you to think I am a broken record, however, so I won’t talk about how God’s grace is so amazing. I won’t remind you that we are justified freely by God’s grace through Jesus Christ no matter your past. I won’t even remind you how God is able to make all His grace abound to you.  I won’t write that it by God’s grace you are strengthened. I won’t even speak of the incomparable riches of grace that will be ours for all eternity.  Nope, won’t talk about any of that. Don’t want you to think I’m a broken record!

I turned to Philippians 4 in the NLT and the first verse captured my attention. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters stay true to the Lord.” [Philippians 4:1 NLT]

What does it mean to stay true? I looked that up and I got one of those AI answers: “To stay true to something means behaving according to your beliefs and doing what you think is right. It can also mean being consistent with fact or reality. In the context of a relationship, it means being loyal or faithful to someone. Shakespeare famously wrote, ‘This above all, to thine own self be true.’”

I decided to look at Philippians 4:1 in other translations. “…my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved,” and “In this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.” [NKJV HCSB]

Stand fast in the LORD. Stand firm in the LORD. Stay true to the LORD.

The world thinks we should be true to ‘self,’ but my ‘self’ is a rebel and traitor. It is always trying to lure me away from God – not towards Him. It is only by holding firm and fast to my LORD and Savior that I can stay true to the Holy and Good God.

Oh, LORD, by the power of your Spirit of Truth, enable me to stay true to You always. Amen.

In Philippians 3, after that marvelous section about continuing to press on, Paul outlines the attitudes of those he calls enemies of the cross of Christ. “There are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.” [vs 18-19 NLT]

The thought that halted me was that phrase “they think only about this life here on earth.” There are parts of this life on earth that are so gloriously wonderful to think about. Then there are parts that are complicated, confusing, and just plain evil.

To live only for the things of this life is so dissatisfying. It leaves us empty and wondering what will fill up that void in our hearts. We are filled with so many questions … most starting with that cry of pain “Why?”

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” [vs3:18-21 NLT]

I am so thankful that Paul reminded us that while we live on this planet, we have eternal citizenship elsewhere. And one day we shall dwell with the LORD who will bring everything under His control.

Those who love the LORD Christ Jesus have been promised a future and a place where there will never be the need to ask “Why?” again. I can only imagine.

I asked the Holy Spirit to give me one thought from each chapter of Philippians. Philippians has so many thoughts that we quote often. I was looking for something that jumped out of each chapter that I have possibly just glanced at and then continued on to one of those “more notable” quotes.

Directly following the beautiful hymn about Christ’s deity and humanity in Philippians 2:5-11 is a section about shining brightly for the LORD. And I found my thought right at the beginning.

 “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” [Philippians 2:13NLT]

God is working in us. GOD is working in us. GOD is WORKING in US! What an amazing thought.

Upon our salvation the Holy Spirit began His work in us. His special attention is to change our desires from what pleases us to what pleases our LORD. He provides the power needed to do that!

How often do I find in my own life that the enemy of my soul, the world, and even my own sinful flesh urges me to focus my desires on what I want. I have often said that the worst song ever written was “My Way!” I have done it “My Way!” far too often. And proved that “My Way!” only leads to trouble.

But now, God is working in me. He is giving me His desires in my heart. He is giving me the power to do it “His Way!” Hallelujah!

After 10 days of devotions taken from that magnet on Bob’s gun safe (Ten Things God Wants You to Know), I woke up to a blank page. Now what? I love writing and could probably write about just anything. But I don’t want to write about “just anything.” I want to write what God tells me to write.

I was reading in Philippians – there is so much good stuff that we quote and re-quote from that book. I could pick and choose probably enough to keep me busy for weeks. Instead, of picking and choosing on my own, I asked God to give me one thought from each chapter that I don’t always think about.

Philippians 1:22: “I can do more fruitful work for Christ.” [NLT]

That thought comes from the familiar paragraph where Paul is discussing his life for Christ … “for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” [vs21 NKJV]

Paul admits he was hard-pressed to know which was better, to be with the LORD or to remain in this life. Going to be with the LORD would be the ultimate joy. But remaining would mean Paul could do more “fruitful work for Christ.”

We don’t know when we will go to be with the LORD, either through the grave or when Christ returns for His own. We can be certain, however, that this life is to be marked by “fruitful work for Christ.” I guess we should leave the timing to Him and concentrate on what our responsibility is. Amen.

I will give you rest is the last of the 10 things the magnet in Bob’s office said God wants us to remember. We are to remember the rest God gives.

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” [Gen 2:2-3 NIV]

In the creation God gave us an example of the day of rest, the 7^th day. In the giving of the law to Moses God made the Sabbath–a day of rest–part of the law. By the time of Christ, the law of the Sabbath had been ensnared by so many rules and regulation that it had lost its meaning. Christ cut those bonds when He declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” meaning that the day of rest was created to serve man, man was not created to serve the day of rest. [Mark 2:27 NIV]

I know that God has given us salvation, which is an eternal rest, no longer striving in our own flesh to gain what we can only gain by faith, but I’m not talking about that kind of rest this morning. I’m talking about a Sabbath day of rest. Christians too often equate the day of rest with the law, and since we have been set free from the law, we ignore it. But like so many other things in this walk of faith, the day of rest preceded the law. In fact, God made the day of rest holy right from the very beginning.

We think we must always be going, going, going. That to rest is somehow sinful. To celebrate a day of rest is somehow placing ourselves back under the law. But our Creator understood our needs, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We need a day of rest each week, a time when we rest, play, fellowship, love. It doesn’t have to be a Saturday or a Sunday. We just need to find some time every week to wind down and refresh.

God gives us eternal rest, yes, but He also wants us to find a time-based rest.

I will strengthen you. Isaiah 40:29: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” [NIV]

2 Corinthians 12:9: “And He said to [Paul], ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness.’”  [NKJV]

Aging. I have lots to say about aging … it’s the pits … it’s not for sissies … it’s not fun … well, you get my point. If there is anything that I find truly difficult in aging, it is the weakness that seems to increase. Hands find it more difficult to open jars. Eyes have more and more trouble reading the small print. Recall is not as sharp. Bones grow brittle. Muscles are not quite as strong as they used to be. It takes less and less exertion to become physically tired.

Oh, there are the rare individuals who are still doing gymnastics, lifting hundreds of pounds of weights, and running marathons well into their 80’s and even 90’s. But that is not the case for most of us.

While we tend toward weakening physically as we age, God has promised that even in our weakness we can be both physically and spiritually strong. He will strengthen us. If we wait upon the Lord, Isaiah said, God will give strength to those who are weary and power to those who are weak. Paul was reminded by the Lord that grace is sufficient and that God’s strength is made perfect or made complete in our weakness.

The reminder … I will strengthen you … has no age limits attached to it. The Scriptures contain many instances of God using people of all ages, from teenagers to the aged, because the power is not in His people, it is in Him. As Daniel said, “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” [Daniel 11:32 NKJV]

I will answer you. Psalm 91:14-16: “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”  [NIV]

Acts 2:21: “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  [NIV]

Psalm 91 is a beautiful song of protection for the one who seeks refuge and shelter in Almighty God. The song ends with a promise from God for those who call upon him … the promise is that God will answer. In God’s answer the seeker finds salvation.

On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), Peter restated God’s promise – “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

In this life we don’t always get answers for why things happen the way they do. We ask but often God is silent.  I have a lot of questions, a lot of questions, about why some people seem to go through life unscathed by troubles and others have troubles roost with them throughout their lives. Yes, I have many questions and few answers.

There is one answer that always comes when we call upon God, however, and that is the answer to our greatest need. Our greatest need is for eternal salvation and God always answers us when we call to Him for that. Once our greatest need is met by God, does it really matter if we get all the other answers that we think we need?

“He will call upon me, and I will answer him …. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”